(CNN) - The federal government won't try to block state laws in Colorado and Washington that legalized marijuana for recreational use, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday.

While federal law still makes the possession, production and sale of marijuana a crime, Holder's announcement means the Justice Department won't file lawsuits against state laws in Colorado and Washington that allow people to possess marijuana for personal use. Growing and selling marijuana remain illegal in those states.

Washington (CNN) - A new study released Thursday by the nonprofit RAND Corporation estimates that consumers purchasing health insurance on the individual market will see little or no increase in their premiums when the Affordable Care Act is more fully implemented later this year.

"Our analysis shows that rates for policies in the individual market are likely to vary from state to state, with some experiencing increases and some experiencing decreases in cost," said Christine Eibner, lead author of the study and a senior economist at RAND. "But our analysis found no widespread trend toward sharply higher prices in the individual market."FULL POST

New York (CNNMoney) - A little more than 43% of U.S. households - or 70 million homes – will end up owing no federal income taxes for 2013.

That's down from recent years because of an improving economy and the expiration of various tax cuts that were passed after the 2008 financial crisis, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, which published its latest estimates on Thursday.

Washington (CNN) - During a ceremony at the White House on Thursday morning to swear in Todd Jones as the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vice President Joe Biden announced two new executive actions intended to address the problem of gun violence.

"The president and I are going to continue to do work with the Congress, to continue to strengthen gun safety laws in this country," Biden said, speaking in the Roosevelt Room. "But in the meantime the president and I – the president's going to continue to do everything we can within our executive authority to try to reduce gun violence in America."FULL POST

(CNN) - A man has been arrested for making threats against Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, law enforcement officials said Thursday.

Anirruddha Sherbow was apprehended by Mexican law enforcement officers in Tijuana on Wednesday. The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police said Sherbow made threats against the Hawaii Democrat this month that were "deemed credible."

Washington (CNN) - As President Barack Obama weighs launching a military strike against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons, American public opinion over whether the U.S. should get involved appears conflicted.

The most recent national polling over the past few months suggests that most Americans, weary after more than a decade of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, don't favor getting its military involved in the bloody fighting in Syria. But some surveys also indicate that the public feels that Washington would be justified in using military action against Damascus if there was proof the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against their own people.FULL POST

(CNN) – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who along with President George W. Bush helped send the United States military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in an interview Wednesday the White House has yet to justify potential strikes in Syria.

And he sharply criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for allowing details about that potential military action to become public before any decisions have been made.FULL POST

(CNN) – Cory Booker hitting back at his GOP rival for U.S. Senate, calling Steve Lonegan's remarks about his sexuality "sad" and "bigoted."

The dust-up began when Booker told the Washington Post he isn't bothered about speculation he's gay. That assertion, Lonegan declared in an interview with a conservative online publication, was "weird."FULL POST